Evolution
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A scientific study on an African species introduced to Hawaii shows that the virtual absence of predation allowed the reptiles a more frank expression of their colors compared to their Kenyan counterparts.
The chameleon is associated in our minds with camouflage: with its incredible ability to change color in the blink of an eye, it can blend into the decor by becoming green like leaves or brown like a branch. But in reality, the need to camouflage is quite secondary. Chameleons mainly change color according to their mood and the messages they want to convey to their fellow creatures, wearing the most dazzling dresses possible when it comes to being impressive. Australian researchers have even shown that reptiles are all the more extravagant in the absence of danger: they display more vivid colors in the absence of predators.
Biologists have chosen to study Jackson’s chameleons because they are found in two distinct territories. Part of this species still lives in highland forests in Kenya and Tanzania, where it originated, while another group was introduced to the island of Oahu, Hawaii in 1972. by ship to be sold to reptile enthusiasts, these beautiful green three-horned chameleons scattered across the island and quickly reproduced. “On Oahu, there are few potential chameleon predators,” explain the researchers in their studypublished this Wednesday in Science Advances. “There are no snakes or lizard-eating raptors,” and very few other birds…
